The secret of golf The story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus

Review by Booklist Review

Posnanski, former Kansas City Star sports columnist, reprises the longtime rivalry and friendship between golfers Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. The focus is on Watson, a Kansas City native, but Posnanski covers the early careers of both golfers before settling into the many times the pair battled head to head, most notably at the British Open in 1977, the legendary Duel in the Sun, often considered the most brilliant two-man display of excellence in championship golf history (Watson won by one shot, closing with a 65 to Nicklaus' 66). Posnanski's would-be overriding theme of the two players' search for the ever-elusive secret of golf proves less compelling than the story of the friendship two ruthless competitors bonding over the awesome difficulty of the game they played. Fittingly, the book concludes with the story of the then 59-year-old Watson's heartbreaking loss at the 2009 British Open, missing a chance at victory on the last hole while Nicklaus shed tears at home in front of his television. Familiar material for golf fans but given new life through a moving retelling.--Ott, Bill Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Posnanski, author of the bestselling Paterno, explores the relationship of golf greats Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, as well as each man's personal connection to the game of golf. A former sportswriter for the Kansas City Star, Posnanski has an obvious bond with the native-Missourian Watson, so most of the story is told from his perspective with Nicklaus's role being more peripheral-a legend to be chased. But when Watson finally catches Nicklaus at the 1977 Open Championship at Turnberry in Scotland, the two players' acquaintance becomes less one-sided and more collegial. Interspersed among remembrance of some of the players' best battles-against each other and themselves-are "secrets" like "Expect Bad Shots" or "Overestimate the Wind" that these two champions think all players need to know to improve their games. Posnanski's light touch is deft as he lets the players' own words do the talking, though he could do more to explain how Watson's drinking affected his playing. As Watson and Nicklaus's connection shifts from dispassion to a professional rivalry to a friendship, Posnanski demonstrates the ups and down of life and sport to create a work that will resonate with avid golfers and sports fans alike. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

As Posnanski (Paterno; The Soul of Baseball) notes, for golfers of a certain age, Tom -Watson is an intriguing player, as he represents the generational gap between Jack Nicklaus and Fred Couples, Davis Love and others currently making their start on the Senior Tour. Focusing on Watson, this book also discusses his lifelong friendship with Nicklaus. Posnanski aligns the background of Nicklaus and Watson, though the emphasis is mostly on the latter player. In contrast to many of the luminaries on today's PGA Tour, for Watson the decision to compete at the highest levels came relatively late. While anyone who makes the tour has talent, few have worked as hard or seem to love the game as much as Watson. The narrative has two distinct thrusts: the first is largely biographical, the second is instructive. What comes through distinctly is -Watson's dedication, principles (most notably loyalty and conviction), and the will to compete. -VERDICT The instruction offered here is well phrased, though serious golfers have probably already heard this message. This account will have marginal appeal to fans of Watson, and already much has been written about Nicklaus.-Steven Silkunas, -Fernandina Beach, FL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

An award-winning sports journalist charts the careers of and competition between Watson (the younger) and Nicklaus (the elder) as they dominated golf in the 1970s and beyond. NBC Sports national columnist Posnanski (Paterno, 2012, etc.) scored numerous interviews with his principals over the years, but his text leans more toward the story of Watson; hovering nearbyalwaysis Nicklaus, whom the author declares golf's greatest player. The author organizes the text into 18 "holes" (chapters), each of which is followed by a brief advice chaptera sort of golfer's guide to the game. These chapters have titles like "Play with Purpose." Most feature Watson's facile commentary and seem to have wandered onto Posnanski's fairway like duffers in search of their lost balls. The principal interest here is in, well, the principals. We learn a lot about Watson: his difficult father (who never did like a shot his son hit); his obsessive, relentless practicing; his unsurpassed putting (a skill he lost later on); his right-wing politics; his bouts with alcohol when his career began to fade; his psychological makeup. We also learn about Nicklaus, though in less detail. The author reminds us of the Bear's early-career weight problems, for example, and demonstrates the adaptations he made to his game as he aged. The golf-course battles between the two are among the highlights. Posnanski is at his best when narrating events, at his weakest when waxing philosophical. Occasionally, he clutches at clich. "The fans were frenzied, the air felt electric," he writes of the 1977 British Open battle between the two at Turnberry, a classic duel whose highlights readers can now revisit on YouTube. The author ends with Watson's near-win of the Open in 2009. Some stellar shots, a few slices and hooks, and a couple putts that hang on the lip. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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The Secret of Golf THE SECRET EVERY SHOT MATTERS One of the big differences between amateur and pro golfers is how we practice. I see amateurs out on the driving range just hitting golf balls one after another without thinking. All they're doing is ingraining bad habits. It drives me crazy to see that. Every shot you hit should matter. Every shot you hit should have a purpose. Ask yourself: "Why am I here?" TOM WATSON Tom Watson believes this: The point of playing golf is playing golf well. He does not accept any counterargument. Over the years, I have said to him, "Look, some people just want to play golf for fun. They don't care what they shoot. They just want to be out there, in the sunshine, among the trees, walking around with friends and a beer and . . ." At this point, Watson will cut me off and bark, "It's no fun shooting a lousy score." This is Watson's core conviction. No, he does not think every amateur can be a great golfer, but he does think every amateur can be a better golfer with a little guidance, a little work, and, most important, a shift in ambition. Many times I have watched him react when people ask him how much they should practice to improve their game. He grins that tight grin of his, the one that reflects not joy but some other elusive emotion, and the man who practiced as much as any golfer since Hogan says, "You determine that. But I'll bet it's more than you practice now." Late in his life, in 2014, Watson was asked to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the second time. The first time, twenty-one years earlier, the team won a stirring victory over Europe; this time things went wrong. Watson was a sixty-five-year-old golf legend, grumpy, stubborn, and hungry to win in a way that might be considered unseemly to younger players. And the players on the team were young, rich, successful, and perhaps a little bit satisfied. The Ryder Cup, after all, is a golf exhibition between players from the United States and players from Europe. It is only as important as the players make it. On the Saturday night before the final day of matches, the U.S. team always has a party for the players and their wives or girlfriends. This should give you an idea of the light atmosphere surrounding the Ryder Cup. The United States trailed by a sizable margin, and Watson was fuming. Several of his moves had backfired. The team had disappointed him. But the Saturday night party is a long-standing tradition, and the players gave Watson a signed replica Ryder Cup trophy. According to various news stories, quoting various anonymous players, Watson horrified everyone by grumping that he did not want the replica. He had come for the real Ryder Cup. With Watson, it always comes back to that question: Why am I here? Many years ago, when I wrote a daily column for Watson's hometown newspaper, The Kansas City Star, he called to complain about something I had written. Complaints are part of a sportswriter's daily life, of course, but this was an unusual call. Watson did not call to correct something I wrote about golf. He did not even call to criticize the grammar, though he has a well-earned reputation as a grammar scold. No, he called to tell me to stop writing those damned list columns. I was still a young columnist then, still finding my way, and every week I would write a column filled with lists. The lists could be of anything: "Five rules baseball should change" or "Four reasons why the Masters is better than the U.S. Open" or "Six teams that should change their nicknames." It was a gimmick, filler, but it seemed to me a relatively inoffensive thing. Watson was offended. He called me at the office. Best I remember I had never had a complete conversation with him before. "This is Tom Watson," he said. "Let me ask you a question. What do you want to be?" "I'm sorry?" "What do you want to be?" he repeated. At this point, I stammered something. "Do you want to be great?" he asked, piercing my pauses. "Do you want to be thought of the way the greatest sportswriters are thought of, the way people think about Red Smith and Jim Murray and Frank Deford? Do you want to be loved like they are loved? I think it's a question you need to ask yourself. Why do you do what you do? What's it all about? Do you want to be great? Not enough people ask themselves that question. It's the most important question. It's the only question." And then he asked me again, "So, do you want to be great?" There was Watson's question. Ask yourself: Why am I here? "Yeah," I mumbled. "Yeah, I mean, sure, I want to be great." "Then stop writing those damned list columns." And he said good-bye and hung up the phone. Excerpted from The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus by Joe Posnanski All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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